Baseball: April 4 Scoreboard
Abilene Christian 3, Houston Baptist 1
Lamar 11, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1
Nicholls 4, UIW 2
Sam Houston State 11, Stephen F. Austin 7
Southeastern Louisiana 5, Northwestern State 2
McNeese State 8, New Orleans 6
Central Arkansas 8, Southern Illinois 3
Central Arkansas 6, Southern Illinois 5
Abilene Christian 3, Houston Baptist 1
HOUSTON, Texas – Abilene Christian freshman pitcher Drew Hanson threw seven shutout innings Saturday afternoon to lead the Wildcats to a 3-1 win over Houston Baptist and a series win over the Huskies in Southland Conference baseball action.
The win for Hanson – a righthander from Coppell – is his first as a collegian as he improves to 1-0 on the season. Hason allowed just four hits and one walk while striking out two Huskies in seven innings of work. Kevin Sheets finished up the final two innings, giving up a run and leaving a runner on base to earn his third save of the season.
The victory pushes the Wildcats to 8-20 overall, but, more importantly, evens their Southland Conference record at 6-6. Houston Baptist, meanwhile, falls to 16-14 and 7-5. ACU will be back at home Monday for a 6:30 p.m. game against TCU, the defending Big 12 champion and a 2014 College World Series participant.
The Horned Frogs (23-6) are ranked as high as No. 2 in the nation, according to last week’s Collegiate Baseball magazine poll. The Horned Frogs played Texas Tech at ACU’s Crutcher Scott Field last year, but haven’t played the Wildcats in Abilene since a 10-1 win over the Wildcats on Feb. 7, 1995.
The Wildcats got all the runs they would need in the first inning Saturday when Colton Hall and Tyler Eager singled. After a Heath Beasley single loaded the bases, Marcelle Carter singled to left field to drive in both Hall and Eager to make it 2-0. Beasley was thrown out at third before Brayden Gomez grounded out to end the inning.
HBU never really threatened to score against Hanson as he allowed just one runner to get as far as third base, and his defense turned one double play and played error-free baseball behind him.
ACU got an insurance run in the top of the ninth when Gomez scored on a sacrifice fly to centerfield by Aaron Draper, pushing the Wildcats’ lead to 3-0. The Huskies got on the board in the bottom of the ninth against Sheets, but the Wildcats’ closer got a pop out to Eager at first base to end the game.
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Lamar 11, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 1
BEAUMONT, Texas - The Cardinal offense exploded and Jayson McKinley was dominant on Saturday when the Lamar baseball team clinched the three-game series with an 11-1 run-rule, rubber match win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi at Vincent-Beck Stadium in Southland Conference action.
LU improved to 15-16 on the season with the win and moved one game in front of the Islanders (13-14, 4-8 Southland Conference). Both teams are on the outside looking in for the Southland Conference Tournament, but series win could go a long way in tiebreaker scenarios.
By the time the third inning was complete, Lamar held a 7-0 lead and McKinley (1-1) had faced the minimum from the mound. He claimed his first win of the season on seven innings of work, a complete game due to the run rule, and surrendered only four hits with one run allowed. Three of his four hits were in sixth inning alone. He finished the game with two walks and five strikeouts.
Stijn van der Meer led off the Cardinal first frame with a single to left field and reached third after a perfectly-executed hit-and-run by him and Reed Seeley. Van der Meer scored on a sacrifice fly from LU catcher Brandon Provost, and Seeley scored on a single to center field from Jake Nash.
Mason Salazar opened the second inning with a single up the middle and scored on a RBI-triple to right center from freshman CJ Moore. Moore later scored on a wild pitch. Van der Meer, who reached on Cody Clarke's error, scored on Kyle Markum's RBI single to left center.
The third frame opened on a single to left field from Brendan Satran. He took second when Salazar was hit by a pitch, and both moved up a sacrifice bunt from Moore. Satran scored on a sacrifice fly to left field from van der Meer, and Salazar crossed on Reed Seeley's double to right field.
Provost, Seeley and van der Meer all had three plate appearances after three innings played.
Islander errors allowed the Cardinals to add another in the fourth inning that pushed it to 8-0. With two outs, Jake Nash reached on a Clarke error and advanced to second on a wild pitch. One batter later, Nash scored when Satran hit a roller to the short stop Casey Thomas, who booted it.
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi held Lamar scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings, but LU still managed to get runners on base.
The final tallies were in the seventh inning, the first two on a single up the middle from Provost. He pushed across, Salazar and Moore, who each singled. The game winner was Kevin Santana's RBI that let Provost score from third.
McKinley surrendered a leadoff double to start the game, but a tremendous play in the outfield by Santana kept the Islanders from scoring first. Jordan Lee popped a ball into left field foul territory, but Santana ran under it, caught it, and unleashed a bullet to home plate and cut down Ware.
From there, McKinley did not allow another base runner until there was two outs in the fourth, on a walk to Lee. He ended up giving up back-to-back walks, but was out of the inning on a groundout. He retired the side in order in the fifth, and three singles caused him trouble in the sixth.
Brett Burner led off the Islander sixth with a single up the middle, and with one out Casey Thomas and Lee singled to load the bases. McKinley struck out Kyle Danford for the second out, but uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Burner to score. A ground out ended that inning without any more damage.
Islander starter Garrett Harris (2-2) lasted one inning and gave up five runs, four earned, on six hits and a walk. His reliever, Dalton D'Spain, worked one frame and surrendered two runs on two hits. Tyler Schnuriger worked the longest, three innings. He gave up a run, unearned, on three hits.
Kevin Landgrebe allowed three runs on four hits in one inning of work, and Nolan Holland pitched one-third of an inning.
Markum (3-for-4), Seeley (3-of-4) and Salazar (3-for-3) all finished the game with three hits. Seeley scored and drove in a score. Markum scored one and Salazar scored three, along with van der Meer. Brandon Provost finished with a game-high three RBI.
The Cardinals return to action on Tuesday when they host the final contest of their eight-game home stand at 6 o'clock. They face Grambling State, and then turn to another crucial conference series at McNeese State.
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Nicholls 4, UIW 2
THIBODAUX, La. – The Nicholls State University baseball team downed Incarnate Word, 4-2, on Saturday to complete their first series-sweep since defeating McNeese State in three straight ballgames in May last year.
The Colonels (18-12-1, 8-7 SLC) had complete control the game through seven innings before the Cardinals (11-19, 2-10 SLC) cut the lead in half in the eighth. Lefty Stuart Holmes played his usual hero role for Nicholls, striking out three Incarnate Word batters in a dominant ninth-inning performance to seal the victory and earn his 11
th save of the season.
The Colonels grabbed a 2-0 advantage over the Cardinals in dramatic fashion in the second inning. With two outs, Seth Stevens crushed a double off of the wall in right center, before Christian Correa launched a monster home run over the Duplantis Design Group sign in left center.
Nicholls added a run in the sixth when Tanner Vandevere walked and came home on an Alex Shermer triple that struck midway up the centerfield wall.
Incarnate Word provided a scare in the seventh when Austin Hoffman led off with a single and Ethan McGill blasted a double off the centerfield wall. Righty Justin Sinibaldi forced a ground out before right-hander Marc Frazier was called out of the bullpen. After a walk loaded the bases, Frazier threw a strikeout and forced a ground out to escape the inning.
In the bottom of the frame, Justin Holt reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and scored on a single to left center from Gavin Wehby to give the Colonels a 4-0 advantage.
The Cardinals erased the shutout and cut the Colonel advantage in half in the eighth when Matt Morris singled to shortstop and came home on a Jesse Hoover triple down the right field line. Holmes entered the game in relief of Frazier and gave up a single that allowed Hoover to score. Holmes quickly recovered, striking out the next batter to end the inning. He controlled final frame en route to a 4-2 win.
Sinibaldi (6-1) earned the win, allowing just four hits while fanning five batters through 6 1/3 scoreless innings. In relief, Frazier allowed two runs on two hits with a strikeout in 1 1/3 innings of work. Holmes tossed the final 1 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit, while fanning four batters.
Brandon Anderson (1-4) took the loss, surrendering three runs on five hits with a strikeout on the afternoon.
Correa led Nicholls offensively, batting 1-for-2 with a two-run home run. Shermer was 2-for-4 with an RBI and Wehby finished 1-for-4 with an RBI. Holt, Vandevere and Stevens each contributed a run in the victory.
McGill paced Incarnate Word at the plate with a 3-for-4 outing and an RBI.
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Sam Houston State 11, Stephen F. Austin 7
Nacogdoches, Texas – Three-run homers by both left fielder Hayden Simerly and infielder Zach Smith powered Sam Houston to an 11-7 victory over Stephen F. Austin in the finale of a three-game Southland Conference baseball series Saturday at Jaycees Field in Nacogdoches.
Simerly went 3-for-5 at the plate while Smith was 2-for-3 to lead a Bearkat offense that totaled 12 hits. Designated hitter Dylan Ebbs and first baseman Spence Rahm also added two hits apiece.
The victory ups Sam Houston’s season record to 15-19 and puts the Kats at 8-7 in Southland Conference action. SFA dropped to 12-20 for the year and 6-8 in the league. The Jacks won the first two games of the series Thursday and Friday.
With Sam Houston trailing in the top of the sixth inning, the Kats pulled within one on a sacrifice fly by third baseman Ryan Brinley and took the lead on Smith’s three-run shot to right field. Catcher Collin Yelich doubled to bring in a fifth run in the inning and put SHSU up 8-6.
The Lumberjacks cut the lead to one run with a pair of tallies in the bottom of the seventh. Smith walked to start the eighth inning and Yelich was hit by a pitch. Both scored on Simerly’s home run to right field.
Ebbs brought in Sam Houston’s opening score with a sacrifice fly in the first inning. The Kats picked up two more in the second frame on a sacrifice fly by Yelich and a run-scoring single by Simerly.
Sam Odom (1-4) earned the victory on the mound in relief. Greg Belton went three and a third innings as the Bearkat starter. Hayden Nixon, Jordan Church and Brinley each pitched one of the final three innings.
Sam Houston returns to action Tuesday night at Don Sanders Stadium with a non-conference encounter with Northwestern State at 6:30 p.m.
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Southeastern Louisiana 5, Northwestern State 2
HAMMOND, La. – Southeastern Louisiana claimed a Southland Conference series and maintained its hold on first place in the conference, with a 5-2 win over Northwestern State Saturday at Pat Kenelly Diamond at Alumni Field.
Southeastern (24-9, 11-4 Southland) took the final two games of a tight series from the Demons (17-13, 9-5 Southland).
The Lions jumped out in front early, picking up a run in the first inning.
Right fielder Julian Service drew a one-out walk and then stole second base. First baseman Kevin Carr drove in Service with a two-out double over the head of Demon right fielder Miller Parker.
Northwestern State came right back to tie the game, 1-1, in the top of the second. First baseman Caleb Dugas knocked a one-out double to left field and advanced to third base on a ground out. Dugas scored from third on Nick Heath's infield single.
Southeastern, not to be outdone, grabbed the lead right back in the bottom of the inning.
Left fielder Webb Bobo led off the inning with a single to left and advanced to second when Demon starting pitcher Jeffrey Stovall (3-3) was called for a balk. Third baseman Brett Hoffman followed with and RBI double over Parker's head in right.
The Lions exploded for three runs in the fifth to go up 5-1 in the game.
Catcher Chris Eades led off the inning with a single to right and advanced to second when Jacob Seward drew a one-out walk. Service followed with a single to right-center field, loading the bases. Daniel Midyett drove in Eades and Seward with a double to right. Carr drove in the Lions' final run with a single to left, plating Service.
The Demons picked up a run in the seventh to wrap up the scoring.
Left-hander Kyle Cedotal (4-2) picked up the win, allowing two runs on eight hits in seven innings of work. The junior from Denham Springs, Louisiana, walked a pair and struck out eight batters. Freshman Mac Sceroler worked a scoreless eighth and ninth innings to earn his third save of the season. The right-hander, also from Denham Springs, walked one and fanned three. Stovall was tagged with the loss.
Carr and Midyett both had a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs. Seward extended his hitting streak to 10 games and his on-base streak to 22 games.
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McNeese State 8, New Orleans 6
LAKE CHARLES, La. – Junior first baseman Connor Crane turned in one of his best performances of the season Saturday afternoon as his three run home run and a go-ahead two RBI single was enough to help the McNeese State baseball team rally for an 8-6 victory and a series sweep over New Orleans at Cowboy Diamond.
Facing a two run deficit in the bottom of the seventh and facing a strong wind, Crane closed the gap after launching a three-run rocket over the left field wall that propelled the Pokes (20-12, 10-5 SLC) to a 5-4 lead over UNO.
Crane finished the ballgame with two hits on five attempts along with five RBI and a run scored.
However, the Privateers (11-20, 2-10 SLC) looked to spoil the potential sweep as they regained the lead in the top of the next frame with a four hit, two run outing that gave them back the lead 6-5.
McNeese battled to gain back the lead that it had once held and did so when it loaded the bases. A seven pitch session would then allow freshman Joe Provenzano to reach first on an RBI-walk and tie the score at six runs apiece.
The scene was set for Crane who had helped put the Cowboys back in the game earlier. While standing at the plate and eyeing each teammate at all three bags, he made contact with the first pitch and watched as it sailed into centerfield. The hit allowed the runners at second and third base to race home and score the go-ahead runs and take a two-tally lead over the visitors.
The victory was the second consecutive come-from-behind victory for the Pokes over the weekend. It was also their first win in 10 attempts when trailing after the seventh and eighth innings.
With the win, McNeese is now 14-6 at home this season and have won eight of their last 10 contests at Cowboy Diamond.
It was another day at the office for Cowboys pitching staff who were able to overcome several obstacles through the game and help the team to its second league series sweep this season.
Tyler Erickson (1-0) was credited with the victory after coming in to toss 0.2 innings and not allow a single run or hit in the process. The win was the third of Erickson’s career.
Ace closer Collin Kober made another case for Stopper of the Year honors after picking up his seventh save of the season after working the last inning. He surrendered no runs or hits to better his ERA to a 0.88 along with 2-1 record and just three runs given up in 30.2 frames. His strikeout-to-walk ratio stands at 36 strikeouts and only six walks.
Five different McNeese batters recorded two or more his on the day including Provenzano who hit 2-for-4 with a walk, an RBI and a run. Matt Gallier and Lewis Guilbeau each knocked in a run throughout the game.
The Pokes stretched their streak of 10 or more hits to eight consecutive contests after logging in 13 in the series finale. In total, McNeese has now hit at least 10 times in 22 games this season.
The Cowboys will be back in action with a two-game series at ULM during the week. McNeese will face off against the Warhawks on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and will conclude the meeting with a contest at 6 o’clock on Wednesday.
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Central Arkansas 8, Southern Illinois 3
Central Arkansas 6, Southern Illinois 5
Carbondale, Ill. – The Central Arkansas Baseball Bears and the Southern Illinois Salukis took the field for a doubleheader on Saturday. The Bears proved victorious in both games of the twin-billing, taking the first 8-3 before coming from behind to earn a 6-5 victory in the second.
SIU (5-25) jumped out to an early lead on an RBI double from third baseman Greg Lambert, but the Bears put up a pair of their own in the top of the second. Right fielder Brandon Montalvo opened the frame with a walk and moved to third on a double from first baseman Matt Anderson. After Montalvo was cut down on a fielder's choice, third baseman Hayden Steele singled to centerfield to score Anderson. He was followed by designated hitter Nick Rougeau, who laid down a bunt to score shortstop Logan Preston and give the Bears a 2-1 lead.
Anderson got things going for the Bears in the fourth, doubling to lead off the inning. After Preston popped out, Steele laced a double of his own to left field to push the Bear lead to 3-1.
The Salukis (17-9) strung together three two-out singles in the fifth to cut the lead to 3-2, but Central Arkansas exploded for five runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Rougeau led off with a single and was sacrificed to second base before left fielder Wesley Hoover roped a double to right field to drive him in. After an SIU pitching change, second baseman Chris Townsend was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. A strikeout followed, but Montalvo then roped a doubled of his own down the left field line to drive in Hoover and Townsend. After pinch runner Michael Haun moved to third on a wild pitch, Anderson picked up his second home run of the season, making the UCA lead 8-2.
The Salukis cut the lead to 8-3 in the bottom half of the seventh, but the Central Arkansas bullpen shut them down over the final two frames to secure the win.
Brandon Hagerla (4-1) earned the victory for the Bears, limiting the Salukis to two runs on six hits and a pair of walks over six innings. Josh Markel threw the seventh, allowing a run on two hits, while Chris Durham worked the eighth and the ninth. He held SIU to two hits and struck out three.
In the second game, Lambert again put the Salukis on top, with a two-run double in the bottom of the second inning. This time the Bears were only able to get one run back, when Preston doubled to right-center to drive in Steele.
SIU added two more in the bottom of the fourth taking advantage of a Central Arkansas error to score a pair of unearned runs and push their lead to 4-1. The Salukis got another run in the fifth to go ahead 5-1.
The Bears cut into the lead with three two-out runs in the sixth. Townsend got the rally going with a single through the left side and moved to second on a single from Rougeau. Center fielder Tyler Langley drove in Townsend with a double down the left field line and Hoover drew a walk to load the bases. Anderson then laced a single to left to plate Rougeau and Langley and cut the Saluki lead to 5-4.
Townsend found an equalizer for the Bears in the top of the seventh, hitting a ground ball to second base. The ball wasn't fielded cleanly and Steele raced in to knot the game at 5-5.
Another two-out rally in the top of the eighth put the Bears on top. Hoover reached with a one-out single and, following a flyout, Montalvo doubled to left to bring him in and put the Bears up 6-5.
Riley Echols started for the Bears, allowing four runs, just one earned, on three hits and three walks in three innings. Bo Stitch worked the next 1.2 innings for the Bears, giving up one run on three hits and a walk. Derek Beier (2-0) earned the win with 4.1 innings of masterful relief work. He held the Salukis to six hits and a walk while striking out four batters.
The Bears return to action on Tuesday, hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Bear Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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